How it started.

My whole burro (Spanish word for donkey) chapter started on April 7th, 2023, when I drove to McNeal, AZ to pick up 2 BLM burros from the "Lucky "A" Ranch Donkey Sanctuary." Lena and Larado had been trained by twin sisters Jacque and Micha Ashburner and had competed (and won) the Mustang Heritage's "Assmaster" contest. :) They had also run in the Tombstone Burro Race, the week before I came to get them. I was a novice to donkey ownership, but I was excited to take on this new adventure! Both Lena and Larado had been rounded up from the Black Mountain HMA in Arizona on May 5th, 2022. :(

The top photo is of the donkeys on their first evening at Shadowlands Ranch. The second pic is of Larado, and the bottom picture is of Lena trying on her pack saddle. This was the start of me getting to know my two new burro buddies and them getting to know me. I had never even heard of burro races, but I had decided to enter my two new donkeys in the Cerrillos Burro Race, which was scheduled for the beginning of May. Who knew? I certainly didn't! Burro racing is a big deal, especially in Colorado where it first began, but it is beginning to catch on throughout the southwest, especially in towns with a mining history.

To see footage of the 2022 BLM burro round up (where Lena and Larado were captured) at Black Mountain, check out this video from the American Wild Horse Campaign: 2022 Burro Round up at Black Mountain